Curd is the word: Talking tofu

OTTAWA — Tofu: Let’s start our exploration of this wildly popular and healthful food with a disclosure.

Prior to this assignment, my sole experience with the food was a tofu burger in the 1970s. I hated it — a bland, gummy concoction I’d like to forget but can’t.

I tried the soy-based food again recently by stir frying firm, marinated tofu with vegetables and topping the dish with cashews. My reaction this time was … well, let’s first talk about tofu itself.

What It Is & Why You Should Eat It — or not

Tofu, an ancient Chinese creation, is soybean curd formed into blocks. High in protein, iron and other nutrients and low in fat, it’s become all the rage among vegans, vegetarians and those looking to reduce meat consumption.

Health Canada says 150 grams of tofu equals one serving of meat, and it’s included in the Canada Food Guide’s recommended meat alternatives.

Tofu is cheap — around $1.50 for 450 grams at the grocery store — and adaptable: it can be grilled, fried, chucked into soups, added to salads, used in desserts, whatever. It also works in both sweet and savoury dishes.

“It’s great because it takes on flavours really well and it can be a ‘hidden’ source of protein,” says Kyle Mortimer-Proulx, executive chef at ZenKitchen, a popular vegan restaurant on Somerset Street.

He uses marinades and sauces with tofu. One of his favourites is a cheese-replacement recipe for ricotta-style pasta that uses soft tofu flavoured with salt, olive oil and lemon juice and zest. Others add it to chicken, beef and other non-vegetarian dishes.

Ben Baird, owner of The Urban Pear in the Glebe and a committed carnivore, isn’t sold. The restaurant has offered a tofu-based dip and a grilled salad topping, but Baird says it’s a lot of work to make tofu tasty. “Why not just start with something that tastes good already?” he asks.

Other health food stores and supermarkets also sell tofu. An Ottawa company, TOFOOD, which recently formed a limited partnership with Signature Foods, sells its own fresh, marinated tofu at Metro, Loblaws and Independent stores. It makes tomato, lemon, carrot and Thai flavours.

“I’m constantly shocked by how many people come up and say they love it,” says TOFOOD co-founder Diane Craig. “We thought it would just be vegetarians, but it’s young mothers with children, health-aware carnivores looking to augment their diet — it’s all over the board.”

Tofu is available in medium, firm and other consistencies for different uses.

Extra-firm, for example, works for barbecue dishes and in soups where you want it to retain its shape.

Silken tofu — often called soft — is used in salad dressing, sauces and the like.

So-called “stinky” tofu, specially fermented in fish brine and other delights, is the darling of aficionados. You may not care enough to explore marinades for this tofu.

When marinating tofu, first cut it into small pieces or pierce it with a fork so it absorbs, as much as tofu can, the flavours.

Craig says that novices, used to cooking with meat, often use overly large chunks of tofu in dishes. So even if it’s marinated, “You bite into it, and it’s just this big, tasteless thing.”

Recipes using tofu abound. Classics include Mapo Doufu (there are variations on the name), a spicy dish from Szechuan province to which some add pork or beef. Miso soup is a popular Asian dish made with tofu and other ingredients such as mushrooms.

It’s also used in Indian dishes, including curries.

Tofu Take-Out & Restaurants

In Ottawa, the world’s your, uh, oyster when it comes to prepared tofu dishes.

Market Organics in the ByWard Market sells tofu sausages, burgers, nuggets, “chicken” fingers, cheesecakes and more. It also makes sandwiches using its own smoked tofu (you can buy smoked tofu at Rainbow Kitchen for $3.49 for 210 grams).

Pub fare at the nearby Chez Lucien includes tofu burgers and a salad with grilled tofu.

The Hintonburger, a popular burger joint on Wellington Street W., offers the Skinny Kitty, a tofu hot dog dipped in batter, at $6.25.

Several other restaurants, from the Blue Cactus in the ByWard Market to The Green Door on Main Street serve the food in stir-fry, noodle and other dishes. And, of course, ZenKitchen.

Tofu Titbits

Contrary to urban legend, tofu turkey, the chow of choice for vegetarians at Thanksgiving and Christmas, isn’t usually sculpted into a turkey shape. Instead, it resembles a meat loaf or melon. Fresh Tofu Inc. in Allentown, PA does produce a 735-gram product moulded into the silhouette of a turkey (“no bones,” the website trumpets); it comes with herb gravy.

Tofu should be refrigerated; an opened package will keep for three or four days. It can be frozen, although soft varieties contain a lot of moisture and will be mushy when thawed — use it for shakes and slurpees, advises one producer.

Studies reported in Scientific American say that overconsumption of soy could reduce sperm count in men, cause fertility problems in women and negatively affect the reproductive tract of infants. Other studies contradict those findings and some show eating soy may reduce the risk of breast and other cancers.

3. Finally, place the green onions, water chestnuts and tofu in a bowl. Add the pork mixture to a hot wok, and cook till crumbly. Pour in the sauce mixture and stir until the mixture thickens. Turn down the heat and add the tofu mixture. Turn gently into the sauce and allow to heat through. If the sauce needs tightening, mix a tablespoon of corn starch with a tablespoon of water and drizzle it in slowly until the desired thickness is reached.

Review: Three tofu cookbooks

Sure, it’s high in protein, affordable and increasingly popular, but still not convinced tofu can also be tasty? Karen Turner checks out three cookbooks that aim to prove it belongs in everyone’s kitchen.

Asian Tofu: Discover the Best, Make Your Own and Cook it at Home

by Andrea Nguyen, Ten Speed Press, $34, hardcover

Tofu is no longer the butt of bad jokes, insists author Andrea Nguyen in this ode to the vegan staple.

“Despite all the terrible terms that have been attracted to tofu, it is still considered a good four-letter word by countless people — I being one of them, having eaten it since I was a child. Before I had my first set of baby teeth set in, it was more than likely that I had bowls of soft silken tofu laced with my unbearable Pablum.”

In her latest cookbook, Nguyen offers more than 75 recipes — from salads and sauces to dumplings and doughnuts — using tofu as the key ingredient. She also includes a shopping guide, a history of tofu and how to make your own.

250 Best Beans Lentils, and Tofu Recipes: Healthy Wholesome Foods

by Judith Finlayson, Trade Paperback, $24.95

The underlying theme of this recipe collection is gourmet food can be healthy and delicious.

Though the cookbook will appeal to vegetarians and vegans, meat-lovers looking to boost their protein intake without having to eat more beef and chicken will learn how to make everything from hearty soups to spicy pasta dishes that are both nutritious and flavourful.

Tofu

by Becky Johnson, Trade Paperback, $18.99

Tofu, also known as bean curd, is the star of the show in this cookbook, featuring 60 recipes from around the world .

Johnson, who travelled extensively for two years through Southeast Asia, offers a range of exotic dishes, ranging from Sichuan beef to crispy Shanghai spring rolls, as well as soups, salads and decadent desserts made from tofu.

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